How Reliable Is Absentee Voting?

Those who want their votes to count may want to rethink voting by absentee ballot. While absentee voting can be convenient and, for those who are living overseas or who are disabled, necessary; There is evidence that many of these ballots go missing during election times. According to one study, absentee ballots account for about 25% of all election ballots, the number of unaccounted-for absentee and in-person ballots is about the same. The reasons for wayward absentee ballots include delivery problems, errors that make the ballots uncountable and the failure of some voters to return their ballots.

More about voting:

All voting is done by mail in Oregon and Washington state.

As of 2012, 36 states offer early voting or absentee voting to the general electorate.

After the 2008 election, only 57% of voters who submitted their ballots by mail indicated that they were "very confident" that their votes were counted, compared to 74% of in-person voters.

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More Info: http://www.eac.gov/

Discuss this Article

anon301492Post 7

It doesn't matter, anyway. Obama's people will still rig the election like before and have dead people voting for him. If you don't believe me, look up voter fraud in 2008 election.

anon301486Post 6

Funny how despite the GOP/FOX spreading the fear of voter fraud (which rarely happens in reality), every time anyone is caught it is a Republican, like throwing out registrations of Democrats in Virginia, voting twice in AZ, buying voting machines in Ohio, and the aforementioned blank space filler on Portland.

anon301474Post 5

Perhaps, a law should be enacted that a person must be notified if their ballot has been rejected. Offering them a chance to contest that rejection and join a class action, if necessary. Also, dropping off your absentee ballot at a polling place should be better than the post office, if it is possible. Also, there is no guarantee that your vote is counted in an electronic voting booth, especially when the voting machines are made and run by one group of right wing voters and the numbers can be easily changed by remote, by hacking or being unplugged.

Bipartisan voting monitoring is always a good idea, especially in areas of contention, and arrests and serious jail terms for anyone caught purposefully rejecting a legal voter and illegally interfering with, changing or destroying valid ballots!

All of these serious crimes have been committed and greatly ignored twice, so that George no. 2 could be appointed into office, and then the disasters that followed.

One person, one vote is the law and it should be vigorously and proudly upheld. If we are to be the great and proud country we like to think we are, not only should we count each vote but we should greatly encourage all eligible citizens be involved and to vote. Otherwise, we are doomed to have the fascist and faux government we like to accuse so many others of having and it will be all of our fault.

Bree99Post 4

Did you read about the temp worker in Portland, Oregon, who filled in the blank spaces on ballots (where people did not vote in one or more races)? She voted Republican in all cases. It's not yet known how many ballots were affected.

anon301436Post 3

I've been an absentee voter for years. I checked the status of my vote online. It has been received.

anon301433Post 2

The Obama Administration is so corrupt that this is the reason a lot of votes do not count.

Flywheel1Post 1

This info would have been more helpful a few weeks prior to election weekend.